Sign highlights Lincoln tie to Illinois State

A large sign commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s connection to Illinois State University is now in place near the Lincoln Gates on the west side of the University’s Quad. The sign recounts how, as a young attorney, Lincoln drafted the legal papers necessary for the 1857 founding of what was then Illinois State Normal University.

The sign is one of a dozen Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition wayside exhibits already in place or slated for installation throughout Bloomington-Normal. The signs are part of the statewide Looking for Lincoln Story Trail, which highlights events, people and communities that had ties to Lincoln during his years as a circuit-riding lawyer and aspiring politician. When completed, the Looking for Lincoln Story Trail will feature more than 200 wayside exhibits in communities throughout Illinois.

“In 1998, the Facilities Management Grounds Department formally recognized the importance of our 16th president by designing and installing the Lincoln Gates on the west edge of our historic Quad,” said Chuck Scott, executive director of Facilities Management. “They are a reflection of the Fell Gates at our east Quad entrance. President Lincoln and Jesse Fell both played significant roles in the creation of Illinois State University. To have a new Lincoln wayside exhibit on our campus is further testament to the importance of President Lincoln and his association with the founding of Illinois’ first public university.”

Similar wayside exhibits in Bloomington-Normal are located near the McLean County Museum of History and the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington, and on Broadway Avenue near Uptown Normal. Additional exhibits are scheduled for installation throughout the community this fall.

The material featured on 11 of the exhibits slated for Bloomington and Normal was researched and written by Roger Bridges, retired executive director of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, and Greg Koos, executive director of the McLean County Museum of History. The material for the exhibit at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site was written and researched by the mansion’s site manager Marcia Young. All three historians are members of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County.

“The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area is pleased to add the Illinois State University campus wayside exhibit to the Looking for Lincoln Story Trail that includes 210 such exhibits in 50 different communities across Central Illinois,” said Hal Smith, executive director of the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition. “We hope both students and visitors will enjoy learning about Lincoln’s friends in Bloomington-Normal, and how Lincoln’s actions as president helped Jesse Fell and others create the great university we see today.”

The Looking for Lincoln Story Trail project is made possible through a federal Housing and Urban Development grant and funding provided by individual communities. For more information on the exhibits visit www.lookingforlincoln.com

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